


As if

by Adybou, Trombolline



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AceDraco, Drarry, M/M, Oblivious Harry, but it's fun, so much swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 09:16:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11529234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adybou/pseuds/Adybou, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trombolline/pseuds/Trombolline
Summary: It starts with sided glances. Draco doesn't miss a chance to check out Potter. When Blaise tells him his gaze is almost exclusively focused on the four-eyes boy, Draco rejects him by saying he's just looking for a new way to humiliate him a little more. He needs a new thing so that his insults stay on fleek. Blaise shrugs, obviously not convinced.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Trombolline](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trombolline/gifts).
  * A translation of [As if](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10888872) by [Trombolline](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trombolline/pseuds/Trombolline). 



> For years, I've only read fanfics in english. But recently, I met some amazing fanfics lovers, who use their talents to write great fanfics, but in french. As for myself, I have not enough writing skills to develop a story on thousands of words, on many chapters.  
> But what I do have is a good enough level in english to translate it from french. Which is why I'm publishing the english version, after getting the author's permission of course.

It starts with sided glances. Draco doesn't miss a chance to check out Potter. When Blaise tells him his gaze is almost exclusively focused on the four-eyes boy;  Draco rejects him by saying he's just looking for a new way to humiliate him a little more. He needs a new thing so that his insults stay on fleek. Blaise shrugs, obviously not convinced.

Then, it looks like Potter is avoiding him. Draco can’t even trust his mental copy of Potter’s schedule. He doesn’t see him at breaksfast. He doesn’t see him pass in front of him to go to History of Magic. They don’t bump into each other after the Quidditch’s practises.

Draco feels something funny grow inside his chest. But it’s boredom, he tells himself. He doesn’t have his favourite distraction to kill time anymore. Besides, Crabbe and Goyle aren’t the best people in the world to have an intellectual discussion with.

He stares the common room’s roof, asking himself if he should mess with Weasley or Granger to get back in shape. That’s when Pansy shows up behind him, throwing her designer’s bag on the first armchair she sees, nearly avoiding Draco’s head.

“Oy.

\- Oh, there you are, she says, looking barely annoyed, I didn’t see you. What are you doing ? How come you’re not in the corridors stalking Potter ?

\- I AM. NOT. STALKING. POTTER.

\- If you say so.

-Pff.

Draco sends her a killer glance. “Who says that, huh ? Blaise, this dumbass ?”

\- Not particularly Blaise. Just …. Everyone. Not sure if you noticed but you look at him quite often.

\- Nonsense.

\- At the last dinner, Blaise threw the idiot’s toad in your soup and you didn’t even notice.

\- …

\- Crabbe lit a firecracker which he put under Granger’s chair. She made a three feet high jump in the air and you didn’t even flinch.

\- Enough.

\- Goyle ran after crybaby Colin in the hallways for like ten minutes. We even took bets, and you, you only deemed it enough of your attention when Potter showed up.

\- I SAID ENOUGH.

Pansy snickers. Draco is so angry his face gets all red, making his blond hair pop out. One could swear he got a massive sunburn on the mug. She takes her bag and goes to her dormitory while laughing like a hyena.

His interests becomes embarrassingly enormous the day he realizes he’s looking for Potter and wondering whether he’s alright when he can’t find him. He wants to slap himself. If his father would be here, he’d say the Malfoys don’t give a Knut for almost everything, except politics. But rather not start talking about it. In conclusion, Draco shouldn’t even give a single fuck about someone like Potter.

Potter, the Boy Who Lived, of all people … In his father’s mouth, it sounds like an insult, a despicable act, an unnatural mistake. To the Malfoy family, he’s not worth much than the mud under his shoes. Which is why it’s only logical Draco finds many ways to insult him.

The Gryffindor's table is almost empty. Few students are sitting down in front of their plates, a lot of them consequently missing the sausages and scrambled eggs. Draco pulls out his pocket watch. Oh right, it’s only 9am. Potter is still asleep. Blaise sits down next to him, also shoving him because Blaise can’t do otherwise.

“ - No lover boy yet ?

\- You’re all so really annoying.

\- Oh come on, don’t sulk. It’s fun.”

Draco mumbles something no one could understand and bites into his brioche. Blaise snickers. “I saw Redhead in the corridor, he looked even poorer than usual. He tried to hide his rotten sleeves but I saw them anyway. The threads were all falling down …”

Draco doesn’t even listen anymore. He drinks his pumpkin juice and leaves the table. He drags himself to the inside courtyard. And, suddenly, freezes and goes hide himself behind a pillar. Potter comes towards him, looking grumpy. Seems in a hurry. Didn’t he hear his alarm ? Does he really sleep like a dog ? All those questions float in Draco’s mind while he realizes he shouldn’t even know about this, and how useful is it to him to know Harry has sleeping issues. One doesn’t insult someone with stuffs like that.

Draco remains still behind his pillar. His mind is full of many thoughts.  He doesn’t hear the sound of Blaise’s soles, even though they hit the ground like the riding boots of a cow-boy who’s starring in Sergio Leone’s movie. He finally finished stealing all the muffins from inexperienced first-years.

“ What are you doing here ? Hiding from McGonagall ?

\- No.

\- Oh, I know ! It’s Potter huh ? You’re hiding so you watch out for him ? Seriously ?

\- No, I’m hiding away … Oh and give me a break. You don’t hear me fucking bothering with your “rubber” duck.

\- It was one time. To try it out. But you need to stop it, now. It’s getting worrying.

\- But I’m telling you I am not stalking him !

\- And so you came here to get some fresh air, isn’t it ? Listen, just do him and get over it. You’re getting annoying.

Draco gives him such an angry glare Blaise thinks he should take a step back. Without a word, he goes towards the library. He needs to walk.

What bothers him isn’t so much that Blaise implies he wants to screw Potter, no, the issue is Draco’s utter lack of physical attraction for anyone. He had a hard time understanding nothing’s wrong with him. He forced himself, once or twice, to find someone he could be attracted to, but no, peanuts. The idea of someone else touching him made him sick. Finally, he came to the conclusion he hasn’t met the right person yet or that he needed to get to know him until he feels comfortable enough to let that person gets closer. He’s still waiting.

So why does he feel the need to see Potter at least once a day, or else he gets worried ? Potter’s not the one who’s supposed to “unblock” something for him ?

But no, he doesn’t want to do him. He just wants. Just. He doesn’t know.

It goes to the point he can’t sleep anymore. He can only think about it ? Could he be wrong ? What if he wasn’t ace anymore ? Could he have got it wrong and just be gay ? He can’t pretend those questions aren’t there anymore. He turns and turns back in his bed until Blaise stands, groans that he better stop or else he’ll kick him in the common room.

Waking up is painful. Blaise shake him so violently he almost falls off his bed. He puts on his robe, ignoring the sound of his roommates laughing at him. He doesn’t have the strength to rebuff them, so he just grabs his vanity and goes brush his teeth.

He finishes his night in Potions class. Snape is too busy focusing on Granger and her habit of wanting to know everything, to care about him. Theodore shields him by taking care of his cauldron. He’s not too bad, so it makes a decent illusion. From time to time he wakes up, and his gaze always finds Potter’s nape, who’s sitting down two rows in front of him. He watches the lines on his neck, the whiteness of his skin. He wonders if he could touch it, if he had reached his arm. And also whether it would be hot, soft under his fingers. He goes back to sleep, picturing himself in Potter’s arms.

He wakes up suddenly when he realizes he fell asleep thinking about Potter. Blaise is so close to empty his cauldron on his face, when he gives him a hit in the ribs. Blaise has now to handle a nose that is currently three times bigger and the teasing laughter of the Gryffindors. Pansy stands up in front of Draco. “ It was fun and all at the beginning, but now you need to do something. I don’t give a fuck if you make a fool out of yourself, but right now, you are costing us points. I don’t want to end up on the second place like last year with all that troll bullshit and double heads or whatever.”

Draco gives her an evil glare. “Fuck you.”

The library is quiet. Almost everyone is gone. Even Granger went back to sleep. Draco struggles to remain awake, so he can finish this damn parchment for the olde McGonagall. Once again, she requested her thirty centimeters for the next class. He can’t anymore. He’s currently wondering if he won’t actually fuck it. He’s so tired he actually thinks it’s a decent idea.

He looks up, and notices, on the other side of the big table, near the central alley, a tuft of dark tousled hair and horribly familiar. His head is laying down on his scrolls, his quill is emptying its ink on the table’s wood. He fell asleep. Draco can’t see his face but he’s sure he looks like … No, he forces himself to stop looking. No, he’s there to work. He must not watch

He manages to stay focused for thirty seconds before he goes back to spy on Potter’s head. It didn’t move a single bit. His breathing is regular. He’s really asleep. One idea suddenly comes to his mind. Probably as crazy as his idea of ditching McGonagall and her rubbish thirty centimeters, what if … He took advantage of being offered an asleep Potter to check if … If … If his hair are as rough as they look like.

No, he can’t. He’s going … No. Slowly, he stands up. He wants to put back a book, yes, that’s it. He’s walking carefully. He doesn’t want to bother anyone. Three chairs are distancing him from Potter, two, one … He stops. He hesitates for about ten seconds and comes closer. Potter looks so peaceful, so quiet so … No, he’s not gonna find him cute. Draco slowly reaches his hand. He tries to keep it steady but it’s shaking like a leaf.

Potter’s hair are soft. They are silky. This is not normal. They should feel coarse, dry,, rough. but they are soft. And they are warm. Potter is warm, not hot but lukewarm. He’s exactly as the right temperature to be used as a hot water bottle during a long winter night. No, he must stop. He pulls out his hand. And Potter moves. He moves, he wakes up and Draco freaks out. He freaks out. He drops his book on the floor. The noise wakes up everybody, including the librarian who was also dozing off on her chair.

Draco is at the center of all attentions, Potter’s included. He feels the two green eyes staring at him. He knows that if he turns his head, he’ll see a flabbergasted Potter. He doesn’t want … He feels his heart explode in his chest. He starts to run. He wants one thing and one thing only : to die under his blanket.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

“Draco, open this door, says Blaise, I swear honest to Merlin that no one is laughing.” Then he hits Goyle in the ribs with his elbows because, contrary to what he just promised, Goyle is actually laughing his head off. “Shut your mouth, you twat, he’s never gonna open it if he hears you. And I want to get my trunk.”

There’s a gathering in front of the second year dormitory’s door. Blaise is at the beginning. Crabbe counts the floor’s cobbles. Goyle snickers stupidly, as usual, and no one understands anything. Seems like Draco locked himself in the room. He’s, it seems, sulking under his blanket because something very  strange happened last night. 

Of course there are rumours, but this is Hogwarts. The school is filled with them. Blaise almost choked on his sausage when he heard that Draco caressed Potter’s hair in the library. 

It sounds very unlikely, even for a rumour. But Draco would have never done something that stupid. To Potter, of all people. Potter, the teacher’s pet, the bloke who could light this castle on fire and get a “what a boy” from Dumbledore. This thought gives Blaise a disgusted shudder. No. Draco isn’t that stupid. It’s just a stupid rumour.

Which is why he’s standing for a half-hour now in front of the door, trying to convince Draco to come out. If Snape can be sympathetic with them, McGonagall is going to give them an earbashing if they don’t show up. All of them. And Pansy is already grumbling due to the points already lost last year. Blaise sighs. “Come on Draco. Open the damn door.” 

But Draco remains hidden under his blanket and McGonagall takes 20 points from Slytherin when a student is skipping class. Pansy is livid. Blaise isn’t sure she’s not gonna rip off their bedroom’s door. 

He’s revising his spells to hopefully prevent a disaster. But Pansy doesn’t need any axe. Draco comes out of his hole to to go hide into the most dark corner of the common room. He’s giving deadly glares to anyone who dares speaking or even breathing too loudly, and also to those who look at him a bit too long. 

Pansy shows up to his face. She’s pissed. Blaise stays carefully where he is to avoid being a collateral damage. She starts speaking so calmly, so coldly that the common room becomes empty in seconds. “You weren’t there this morning. Why weren’t you there this morning ?”

\- I was sick.

\- You were sick. 

\- Yeah. 

-Are you aware that I’m not your mother, and these kind of bullshits don’t work with me ? 

\- But it’s the truth. I was sick.”

Pansy starts smiling. But this isn’t a delighted smile, no, it’s the smile of someone who’s gonna eat their prey. 

“This morning, McGonagall took the roll for the very first time this year. Care to know why ? Because some students were missing. Of course she realized it. And you know what she did ? She took points from us. She took 20 points from us. Which means that we are now in the 3rd position, just before the Hufflepuffs, and actually I’m pretty sure they’re above us now, because unlikely to us THEY SHOW UP IN CLASS ALL TOGETHER.”

Draco puts himself in a fetal position. He’s currently reassessing his lifechoices. Pansy goes on. “ SO I DON’T GIVE A DAMN FUCK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU, WHETHER YOUR DRESS DOESN’T MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS OR ELSE BUT YOU’RE GONNA MAKE ME A HAPPY GIRL AND TAKE YOUR FINGERS OFF YOUR ARSE AND YOU’RE GONNA GO BACK IN CLASS LIKE A NORMAL WIZARD.

And then she turns away so suddenly that the three boys who didn’t dare move during her speech made a small jump. She doesn’t look at them and disappears in the stairs. 

Hermione finishes her pie slice when she sees Pansy sitting down in front of her. The others Gryffindors give her panicked glances but Hermione doesn’t need no help, though she is quite surprised. She’s perfectly capable of handling Pansy. “So I need to talk to you about something because I can’t anymore.

\- Er… Yes ?

\- Once again, he locked himself up in the bathroom all afternoon. He’s refusing to eat and he’s in a pain in everyone’s arses. The third’s floors bathroom are always flooded we can’t anymore.

\- Ah. Er.

\- So. What do we do ? 

\- We ask Filch ?

\- No, sighs Pansy, about Draco and Potter. 

\- Draco and Potter ?Pansy rolls her eyes. God, why everyone is so slow.  And how come Granger is considered as the smartest of all the second years when clearly, a lot goes over her head. But, anyway, the situation needs her to make some efforts. “Draco is putting us through his nerve crisis because he may or may not made a fool of himself by caressing Potter’s hair.”

“ - Oh. That.

\- Yes, that. And it starts to costing us a lot. So, please, some help would be very appreciated.

\- Hum well.

\- Merlin save us. Speak, come on.

\- Harry didn’t say anything about that.”

Pansy has a sudden itch to flip the table. But it’s sort of heavy and quite noticeable. “Well, you could … I don’t know … Ask him ?

\- And what would I ask ?

Now she feels like facepalming herself but she keeps her cool. “You ask him whether he liked it ? If he truly hates Draco ? If he’s not against the idea of, I don’t know, snog him silly and get us over with.”

Hermione opens wide her eyes like she found out people actually know what potions shenanigans she’s up to in the bathrooms. “I beg your pardon ?

\- Draco has a massive crush on Potter but refuses to acknowledge it and it’s gonna ruin our whole year so, I know that you and us aren’t best friends or anything, but this is a code black. Do something. Or I could make your life really, really, really irritating.

Hermione takes her word for it.

Pansy succeeds at removing Draco from the bedroom to make him wait near the cloistered garden. She doesn’t need much to menace him. Pansy became quite frightening recently. Some even dare say McGonagall fears her reactions. 

So Draco is out, and currently sitting down on a bench. Lucky him, it’s a bright day and it’s not that cold. He’s wondering what Pansy’s up to when he sees Potter coming. He stands up and walks towards the hallway. No way. Nope. “Wait, says Potter, wait a minute.”

Draco turns away and gives him a mean stare. “ What do you want Potter ?” When it comes to say his last name, Draco does it the way he heard his father pronounce it. Potter scowls. “Don’t mess with me. Hermione told me about your crush. 

Draco turns white. How the hell did she find out ? And suddenly the truth hits him. Pansy, it’s Pansy, the traitor. 

“ -Bullshit. I don’t have a crush.

\- Right. And your hand in my hair was to find out my shampoo’s brand ?

\- I was tired, thought I was petting Mrs Norris.

\- Come on, you can come up with a better excuse than this.

\- Oh fuck it.’

Draco turns around and is about to leave. Potter grabs his sleeve.

“You’re annoying, not even letting me speak.”

He faces him. All is unclear now. Potter looks sad.

“I don’t mind your hand in my hair.”

Draco stares Potter.

“ You can start again, if you want.

Potter looks at him as if he was expecting something. Draco is very confused. And he sees the four-eyes boy getting closer to him, in a hesitant way. Potter is so close now. Their noses are almost touching. Draco decides to stop thinking, to stop asking himself questions. He chases away his fears and his shame away and it’s him who gets so close of Potter’s mouth he feels it with his own.

 

Damn, he thinks, how soft his lips are.


End file.
